Nelson gets dis'd by Nebraskans after Nebraskans get dis'd b
Posted: 12/21/2009 4:20:13 PM
By: Comfortably Anonymous
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Topic: News: Omaha
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Nelson gets dis'd by Nebraskans after Nebraskans get dis'd b
Posted: 12/21/2009 4:20:13 PM
By: Comfortably Anonymous
Times Read: 1,819
0 Dislikes: 0
Topic: News: Omaha

 

Nelson defends himself.... I guess : )

WASHINGTON - Sen. Ben Nelson today defended the various deals he secured in exchange for his support of the Senate health care bill.

The Nebraska Democrat has been taking heat from fellow senators, pundits and his constituents for those deals, particularly an arrangement that has the federal government covering all of the cost to Nebraska of the bill's Medicaid expansion.

Nelson called the criticism a "tempest in a teapot."

He said he simply pushed to eliminate an unfunded federal mandate for Nebraska and that other states will be able to get the same deal between now and 2017, when states will start having to help foot the bill for the expansion.

"I take exception to anyone saying that this is a carve-out. It's not a carve-out. A carve-out would be if something occurred right now," Nelson said.

He said some are intentionally misunderstanding the deal and he had strong words for his Republican colleagues who have been critical of it on the Senate floor.

He suggested they should instead push for further changes in the bill.

"There are those who are down there every day, every day, after their caucus luncheon with their partisan talking points, all about partisanship, not about trying to move forward an agenda for America and an agenda that's good for Nebraskans," Nelson said.

 

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